This is a sponsored post from Disney Music and One2One Network. All opinions are my own.It is no secret that we are huge fans of all things Disney. Some of my earliest Disney memories center around Disney music, long before I had ever seen a Disney movie. As a young child I remember having some compilation Disney records and movie soundtracks that played often in our home. We have 1960’s home movies of my dad and I dancing around the living room to Disney records. Growing up dad was the Disney influence in our life. I was only a year old when Walt Disney announced The Florida Project in 1965. My father often told us that when he saw that announcement he knew that once it was built, we would vacation there. Dad kept his promise, the Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971 and in 1972 our family boarded a Yellow Bird airlines flight from Boston to Orlando, and our lives would be changed forever.

In 1980 we moved to Florida, only 2 hours away from Walt Disney World, so we were blessed to visit often. In 1993, at the age of 4 month old, I brought my oldest son, Aaron to Epcot for his first magical evening in a Disney park. His nursery was decorated in baby Disney characters and Disney music played on the cassette player in his room. Fast-forward 21 years to Aaron’s wedding where we danced to “Baby Mine” from Dumbo for the Mother/Son dance.

I wish my father was still alive because I know he would love the Jazz Loves Disney project. He loved jazz and Disney music so for him this may be the perfect music combination. Every time I listen through the CD, I think of him…and I weep. You see, November 17, 2016 will mark 1 year since my dad passed away. The hurt and sadness are still very close to the top of my emotions on any given day. Whenever I’m in the parks, hear a Disney song, or see a Grumpy t-shirt my heart leaps to my throat. As hard as it is sometimes, I am thankful to have this album to help me remember how much my daddy loved Disney.

About Jazz Loves Disney

Walt Disney loved jazz and paid great attention to the writing of the music accompanying his heroes’ adventures. Teams wrote and played the songs that at some point acted as catalysts of the emotions and personalities of unique characters such as Jiminy Cricket, Baloo, Tinker Bell or Toy Storys cowboy Woody. Several of these tunes have either been nominated for or won Academy Awards, a true acknowledgment of the quality of such beloved and enchanting future standards, which many jazz and pop stars have covered at some point in their career.

Jazz Loves Disney was recorded between Paris, London and Los Angeles by a dream cast. It is incredibly coherent, as if all participants had agreed to pay a rightful tribute to the most beautiful and symbolic tunes of Walt Disney’s magic world, as if nothing was too good for the stars when they revisited the classics and the sweet childhood memories connected to them.

Track Listing:

1. Jamie Cullum – “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” – from The Aristocats
2. Melody Gardot – “He’s A Tramp” – from Lady And The Tramp
3. Stacey Kent – “Bibbidi Bobbodo Boo” (French version) – from Cinderella
4. Gregory Porter – “When You Wish Upon A Star” – from Pinocchio
5. China Moses – “Why Don’t You Do Right” – from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
6. Raphaël Gualazzi – “I Wanna Be Like You” – from The Jungle Book
7. The Rob Mounsey Orchestra – “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” – from Cinderella
8. Hugh Coltman – “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” – from Toy Story
9. Anne Sila – “Let It Go” – from Frozen
10. Melody Gardot & Raphaël Gualazzi – “The Bare Necessities” – from The Jungle Book
11. Laika – “Once Upon A Dream” – from Sleeping Beauty
12. Nikki Yanofsky -“Someday My Prince Will Come” – from Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
13. The Hot Sardines – I Wanna Be Like You (French & English version) – from The Jungle Book (US release only)

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

Overall I really like this album. My favorite songs are “The Bare Necessities” by Melody Gardot & Raphaël Gualazzi and “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” by Jamie Cullum. I just love the duet setting for “The Bare Necessities”, it works so well. “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” is a jazz song to begin with but the instrumentation of this arrangement really allows the talented musicians to shine.

When Jamie Cullum was asked about his part in this project he said:

“Disney is the first place many of us hear and really start to appreciate music as children. I’m really seeing that now with my own kids. What is wonderful about all the music is that it is challenging, melodically and lyrically exciting and playful. Having the chance to reinvent one of my favourites from the Aristocats – a proper jazz musical – was great fun. It’s such a brilliantly subversive film with killer music in it. I hope we’ve done it justice!”

I recommend this alum for any Disney music or jazz lover. It is available on iTunes and Amazon. It would make a great Christmas gift as well.

The post Jazz Loves Disney Album Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.